The Trillion Dollar Industry of Cyber Crime

No business, no phone, no information is safe from the threat of a cyber attack. Hackers, scammers, and criminals are increasingly looking toward the internet as a means of illegal financial gain.

Each year, cybercrime continues to rise as more of our most delicate data makes its way to the cloud. This criminal entity of the internet is particularly concerning for small businesses, who are the most frequent targets of phishing attacks and the most vulnerable to financial ruin following an online security breach.

This infographic dives into the most critical issues surrounding cyber attacks, and cites figures that point toward trends that should and do concern businesses, both big and small. It also sheds light on issues of cyber security that affect people, especially concerning sensitive records, malware, smart devices, and email security.

This infographic is not a dramatization. These are not cherry-picked figures. These things are actually happening. This is why we chose to display data in dollars and percentages. They’re easily digestible and resonate most with the average internet users, who perhaps have the most to lose to cyber criminals, including their money, security, sensitive records, or even identities.

You’ll notice elements of the infographic are animated for emphasis as you scroll the page. We believe this interactive design will bring more attention to the alarming statistics displayed in the infographic, and hopefully, help more people and businesses consider the importance of cyber security.

The page begins with a simple question: “Is your business protected against cyber attacks?” That is the most important takeaway, but the design also draws intrigue to the topic.

A Guy Fawkes mask sits below that question, outlined in orange on a black background. It highlights the unknown entities lurking on the internet, and gives the graphic an almost Halloween-esque sentiment.

But this visage is not meant to alarm viewers. The numbers alone can do that. Presenting them in bold colors with graphics and some “scary” elements was a stylistic choice, one that we think works for the overall message of the infographic.

The infographic ends with a somwhat prophetic quote from IBM CEO Ginni Rometty. She calls data the “world’s new natural resource,” and a transformative element for every profession. If all of this is true, she says, then cybercrime is the greatest threat to every company in the world.